Nowadays, most restaurants offer online ordering, and c-stores are doing the same, creating mobile apps and updating websites.
Dandy Mini Marts, which operates 63 stores in Pennsylvania and New York, began offering online ordering in 10 of its stores about eight months ago. It’s seeing a lot of use during the dinner daypart, and James Fry, food service director at Dandy, believes customers enjoy the speed of the function.
“Instead of coming in and doing a made-to-order sandwich that might take five or six minutes, let’s say a chicken sandwich (because you have to cook the chicken) … they can order that online and have it ready by the time they get here,” he said.
Shop Rite/Tobacco Plus, operating 62 total stores in Louisiana, is currently developing online ordering across its app. At press time, it was offered at a test site, with plans for further expansion. The chain also partnered with DoorDash for delivery. For its new builds and remodels, it’s been moving toward drive-throughs.
At Huck’s, which operates 130 c-stores in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri, customers can order through Vroom with a delivery option through DoorDash and Uber Eats where applicable. The Vroom platform aggregates orders that arrive through Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub.
At press time, Godfather’s was a standalone platform, and Huck’s was integrating this with Vroom so every order comes through a single tablet.
“Online ordering continues to grow rapidly. We expect continued strong growth, so we are working to provide the best experience possible for the customer,” said Dave Grimes, VP of foodservice for Huck’s. “The easier we make the process of getting great food to the customer, the more we will endear them to us. We are very focused on order errors and ensuring availability during the expected hours of operation.”
Nouria, too, which has 170 stores in the Northeast, offers online ordering and third-party delivery, as well as kiosk systems. In 2025, the chain’s approach to drive-throughs will be a key area for the company. Now, Nouria has six locations with drive-through, equipped with a smaller menu to help control the flow and speed of the transactions. Its future-based focus is on how to entice customers to the drive-through when they are in a rush or have children in the car.
The goal is for customers at the pump to scan a QR code linked to that specific store for online ordering. They will receive a number and pull up to the drive-through after fueling up, and the order will be ready for them.
Nouria plans to install similar technology with the electric vehicle chargers it’s adding. Customers can choose to walk inside to receive their order or have it delivered to them at their station.
“We’re trying to utilize (drive-throughs) in a different way than most of our competitors, whether they’re QSRs or not. That’s the best part about Nouria: we don’t stop at ‘That’s what everybody does.’ We stop at ‘What can we do next to make it elevate even more?’” explained Stephen Skidds, Nouria’s director of fresh foods/culinary.
